THE NEW FACE OF HOMELESSNESS

Life is about to get tougher for a group of people who are already barely making it by. Marcus Day is certain of that. He wants authorities and the powers that be to fully understand the magnitude and impact of the decision to demolish the CDC apartments at La Clery. Those who could afford to move, he says are already gone, those who are left behind are facing poverty and the very real possibility of homelessness. He paints a bleak picture of what obtains but says there is no running away from the face of poverty and the new face of poverty in particular, where even working people are living in poverty.

The authorities argue that people were given notice and financial assistance to move. Day says it’s not enough, not when there is a lack of affordable housing and when what is considered affordable housing is still prohibitively high for the average squatter. He worries that these people will be pushed into street life – homeless and destitute. He says while historically, the majority of people on the streets were there because of drug abuse and or mental illness that is changing.

As far as Day is concerned, government is not doing enough to fulfill its role of establishing social safety nets for the poorest and most vulnerable.